The skanner., April 24, 2013, Page 8, Image 8

Arts & Entertainment
The Undisputed Champ’s Undisputed Truth
By Kam Williams
B
orn in Brooklyn on June 30,
1966, Michael Gerard Tyson is
an all-time boxing great who, in
his prime, struck fear in the heart of
any opponent he squared off against.
He compiled an impressive record of
50 wins, 5 losses and 1 disqualifica-
tion for biting off an opponent’s ear
over the course of an incomparable
career in which he became the first
undisputed heavyweight champ to
hold the WBA, WBC and IBF title
belts simultaneously.
Iron Mike has weathered a host of
woes and controversies outside the
ring ranging from allegations of
spousal abuse to a rape conviction to
the death of his 4 year-old daughter,
Exodus, to declaring bankruptcy after
frittering away over $300 million in
prizefight purses. Today, he is a very
happily-married man, with a couple of
children, Milan and Morocco, by his
third wife, Kiki.
Mike is currently on a 36-city tour of
the country in “Undisputed Truth,” a
one-man Broadway show which is part
comedy/part confessional and covers
all of the above and more. Here, the
pugilist-turned-actor talks about his
latest movie, Scary Movie 5, co-star-
ring a rogues gallery of controversial
celebrities including Charlie Sheen,
Lindsay Lohan, Katt Williams and
Snoop Dogg.
Kam Williams: Hi Mike, thanks for
the interview.
Mike Tyson: What’s up, Kam?
KW: I really appreciate your taking
the time to speak with me.
MT: It’s all good in the ‘hood, my
friend.
KW: Ray Hirschman asks: What
interested you in Scary Movie 5?
MT: Whew! It’s a franchise that’s
going to last ‘til the end of time. I
wanted to be involved with
that. I don’t care how silly it
comes across. It’s more so
for us than for kids. It’s
adults acting stupid and
silly.
KW: What was it like
working with this cast?
MT: Everybody was
great. Ashley [Tisdale] was
awesome. I got an auto-
graphed picture of her for
my niece.
KW: Children’s book
author Irene Smalls asks:
How did you get into act-
ing?
MT: Just from messing
around with a friend, Jim
Toback, the director of The
Pickup Artist. I always used
to see him in New York and
talk to him when I was
younger, like a teenager.
Anthony Michael Hall
brought me onto the set of
one day in about ’86, and
Jim and I became acquaint-
ed and then good friends,
and he started putting me
into his movies, first Black
and White, and then we did
Tyson. He thought I was an
interesting character. After
that, I did The Hangover
and got bitten by the acting
bug. I have a lot of friends
who’ve won Oscars, and
they started telling me I
could do it, too.
KW: I remember your
doing a great job in Black
Mike Tyson
and White opposite some
famous daughter. Who was
it, Jennifer Jason Leigh?
MT: That was Bijou
Phillips. She was awesome
in that film.
KW: And Jim’s documen-
tary, Tyson, was riveting
from start to finish.
MT: I’m just very grateful
for his friendship. He’s a
remarkable dude.
KW: Larry Greenberg
says: When we talk
about comedy, you hear
words that could refer to
boxing like “timing” and
“punch line.” Do you see
any similarities between the
two?
MT: I don’t know. People
tell me I’m a comedian, but
I don’t approach acting
from that perspective. I do
know that everything in life
has to do with your timing
and perception. You have to
be comfortable with the
rhythm that you’re in.
Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com
Page 8 The Portland Skanner April 24, 2013